1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf game played on a putting green and, more particularly, a game designed to improve the golfer's skills in putting a ball on the putting green.
2. Background Information
The state of the art includes various games and devices providing putting practice for golfers. This technology is believed to have significant limitations and shortcomings, including, but not limited to, that the devices do not provide actual putting practice on a real green and are only marginally effective.
For this and other reasons, a need exists for the present invention. This invention provides a simple game with minimal required devices, which is believed to fulfill the need and to constitute an improvement over the background technology.
All United States patents and patent applications, and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Some examples of putting practice games and devices for which patents have been granted include the following.
Florian, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,584,877, describes a portable golf game using a golf club and a ball and including a fabric runner simulating a golfing green and having an inclined portion at the end of the runner with the incline and runner having selected scoring areas. The scoring area on the incline is a centrally located ball receiving opening. The scoring area on the runner may be in the form of marks simulating a triangulated shuffleboard score area. The inclination of the incline is such that some balls traveling up the incline with inadequate momentum will reverse and roll down onto the scoring area on the runner. A vertical wall is provided beyond the upper end of the incline, to form a backboard.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,210, Brandell discloses a golf putting game device which may be laid on a carpet, or the like, to afford a target onto which a golf ball may be putted. The game surface is convex upwardly and embodies a plurality of target areas onto which a ball may be putted from a position remote from the game. The target areas include “scoring” depressions toward which putts may be directed for the purpose of scoring positive points, and “hazard” formations, including “trap” depressions and “bunker” ridges for creating difficulties in putting into the “scoring” depressions and, possibly, causing the player to receive negative points.
Bagley, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,917, describes a golf putting game which includes a housing having a horizontally elongated opening into which a standard golf ball can be putted. Horizontally spaced sensors, positioned lengthwise of the opening within the housing, sense the lateral position of a ball entering the opening. The sensors control a numerical display indicating a score based on the position of the ball laterally of the opening. A back plate stops the ball within the housing, and a sensor determines the force with which the ball strikes the back plate. The indicated score is modified if the force on the back plate exceeds an acceptable level. Successive groups of balls can be putted into the opening, and the score for each ball within the corresponding ball in the successive groups can be accumulated and individually displayed to permit a number of players to play the game at the same time.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,101, Postula discloses a golf putting game, played with regular golf balls and clubs on an elongated rectangular playing area. At the end of the playing area, distal the putting lines, is a shallow ramp. Several holes or depressions in the surface of the ramp, called “bunkers” in the game, act as ball traps. The playing area is conveniently made up in the form of a roll-up mat. The game itself has two phases. In phase one, the players attempt to putt balls into one of the bunkers to accumulate points. Phase two of the game has three embodiments, in all of which the players attempt to land their putts in one of the last three rectangles defined by the transverse lines to score. Bunker balls do not count in phase two. Score points are counted only at the end of a round of play in two of the embodiments, which encourages strategy and “bumping” of opponents' balls out of the score rectangles. The winning team is the first to reach a certain total score in two of the phase two embodiments, and is the team with the most points after eight rounds in the other.
Ridge, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,247, describes a putting game for playing a golfer's version of tic-tac-toe, with each player having a separate set of balls and with separate indentations on a game frame for storing the sets of balls.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,360, Shiffman discloses a golf putting game apparatus for improving a player's putting skills. The golf putting game apparatus allows the player to practice putting accurately and to practice putting the ball with the correct amount of force. A scoring method for measuring the player's relative proficiency is provided. The golf putting game apparatus comprises a scoring template with opposite front and rear edges for arrangement on a putting surface such as a suitable carpet material, a putting green, or other surface suitable for putting. The scoring template includes hole marking means for marking on the putting surface a circular zone which represents a hole on a golf green, holed-out zone marking means for marking on the putting surface an elongated holed-out zone extending from the circular zone to the rear edge of the template, and scoring zone marking means for marking on the putting surface a pattern of spaced apart lines. The scoring zone marking means are spaced from and extend outwards from the circular zone to the edges of the template. A golf ball putt onto the template from in front of the template with the correct line and weight to enter a hole in a golf green will come to rest on the circular zone or holed-out zone. This allows the golfer to develop a feel for putting with the correct weight, as well as line. A score is calculated by adding scoring indices marked on the template which lie adjacent the location at which the ball comes to rest.
Nixey, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,590, describes a golf putting aid for use on a playing surface, including a plurality of polygon-shaped faces forming a hollow polyhedron, with at least two of the polygon-shaped faces each having a plurality of openings there through for receipt there through of a putted golf ball. Each of the at least two polygon-shaped faces may be placed flat against the playing surface, such that an opening in an adjacent one of the polygon-shaped faces is exposed for receipt there through of a putted golf ball.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,590, Criger discloses a scoring overlay in the form of a target and a system for improving golf putting. The overlay is designed for use after a golf putt, to provide a score based on the position of the ball relative to the hole. The center of the overlay is placed over the hole on the golf green, and the overlay is oriented based on the direction from which the putt was made. A score is awarded based on the position of the ball on the overlay. Scores are based on how close the ball is to the hole. However, a higher score is awarded for a ball a given distance from the hole that was hit hard enough to reach or pass the hole than for a ball equally distant from the hole that was not hit hard enough to reach the hole. Similarly, lower scores are provided for golf balls hit off line from center, either far to the right or far to the left. The invention also includes a method for improving putting by a game using the overlay.
Applicant has devised a simple putting practice game with minimal required devices. The game of the present invention provides putting practice that is enjoyable for the player. The game can be played alone or by two or more players.